Lighting up Sunnyside

Sunnyside was lit up with holiday cheer as they celebrated their new holiday lights after a 17 year hiatus.
Sunnyside’s new Business Improvement District (BID), which put up the lights, hopes they will help attract more business to the area.
About 100 people attended the lighting ceremony, which took place on Thursday, November 20, at 46th Street and Queens Boulevard.
Despite the cold weather, the mood of the audience, bundled up in scarves and coats, was festive. The Sunnyside Children’s Drum Corps contributed greatly to that mood with their high energy pieces.
“It was exciting; it was the culmination of a lot of effort,” said John Vogt, chairperson of the BID board and president of the Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce.
The BID, which was officially established this May, was in the making for about four years, Vogt explained. A nonprofit economic development organization, the BID represents 212 businesses in Sunnyside, which is filled mostly with mom-and-pop establishments.
“It just enhances the neighborhood,” Vogt said about the lights, which are on Queens Boulevard and Greenpoint Avenue. “It shows success. It makes you want to go out and shop. Not seeing them for years was depressing,” he added.
In an effort to better serve the Sunnyside community, the BID is handing out surveys to residents as well as business and property owners, asking them what changes they would like to see in the neighborhood, said Steve Fleischer, a BID board member.
“In order to represent people, we need to understand what they like,” Fleischer explained.